Writings about Education and Life in New England

A few months ago, I did something crazy. Even though it’s what I want, and even though I’ve had time to get used to it, I still find myself wondering, “What the hell am I doing?” Or, “Who am I to try this? I’m just a teacher.” Let me explain. In my world, I’m realizing, things don’t change much. Public schools are remarkably consistent. Sure,

*** As a public school teacher, I could not have agreed more with President Trump last week, when he said, “We have to harden our schools, not soften them” in response to school shootings. Trump’s directive was echoed by other conservatives. Instead of fewer guns, they said, we need more guns in schools — especially in the hands of teachers. We also need more metal

*** A lot of people have been speculating about the best thing we can do to prevent further school shootings. Some people say, “Vote Democrat.” Others say, “Study the problem scientifically.” But I’ve got the real answer. Join the NRA. I remember during the 2016 election some pollster — I think it was Nate Silver — joked that the best thing Democrats could do

*** The other night, watching 17 year-old Red Gerard win a gold medal, man-hug the same two teammates at least 25 times each, then drop an F-bomb on live TV, it got me thinking: I am old. After all, this kid is only 17. I’ve got skis older than Red Gerard. Teenage medalists are hardly unique, but it did get me thinking about what a

*** After spending most of November and December’s usable daylight (sum total: 4 hours) indoors, my Christmas vacation plans always carry a hint of desperation: I’ll get up early and snowboard. Then I’ll cross country ski. Maybe after that I’ll hike a 4,000 foot peak. Then I’ll put my snowshoes on and walk around the house a bunch of times. I’ll use muscles I

The other day, my wife asked me how I’d remember 2017. My answer: It was a great year for me personally. Great. That’s not what this post is about though. It was the darkest year for our country of my adult life. Now I suppose that if you spent the last eight years stewing that a Kenyan terrorist was putting his feet up in the

I know I’m about two weeks late posting about this, but I love Green Race kayaking footage. In fact, just about the only thing in November I welcome is my Facebook feed filling with Green Race videos. The most famous kayak extreme race in the United States is held every November — something they can do in Asheville because it’s actually a reasonable temperature

Years ago, when I was first kayaking, I learned about a life philosophy that I immediately adopted. One of the most accomplished men I ever met, an ex-kayaker, wrote that what separated the truly successful people he’d known — at Harvard, in the Marines, in the Olympics, and in the White House — was a specific mindset. He called it “fascination with the process.” To

*** Being a parent must be hard nowadays. In addition to having to worry about online predators, cell phone addictions, and an Oval Office resident who is basically a 70 year-old poster boy for every behavior we hope children shed by the time they’re seven, you’ve also got to worry about American corporations trying to drive you insane. This past week I showed

Last weekend, for the first time in almost thirty years, I turned the TV off during a good football game. I felt sick to my stomach. And it had nothing to do with Colin Kaepernick. It was a college game, and in the span of about 20 minutes, I watched two different young men get hit so hard that they had to be carried off